US sanctions 5 entities over Iranian "Ababil”
Shafaq News – Washington/Tehran
On Thursday, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on five entities and one individual linked to Iran’s drone development efforts.
According to the department’s statement, the targeted parties collaborated with Iran’s Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA), which develops military aircraft and the secretive "Ababil" unmanned aerial vehicles.
The sanctions hit "Control Afzar Tabriz," managed by Javad Alizadeh Hoshyar in Iran, "Clifton" in Hong Kong, "Mechatron" in Taiwan, "Goomars" in China, and its subsidiary, "Changzhou Goomars." All were penalized for cooperating with Control Afzar Tabriz.
Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning a global network for procuring technology in support of Iran’s military. The network supports a state-owned entity that manufactures Iran’s military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, which the Islamic…
— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) July 31, 2025
Earlier, the US Treasury imposed what it called the most sweeping sanctions on Iran since 2018, targeting an extensive oil shipping network accused of financing destabilizing operations in Iran and Russia.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the 115 new sanctions as the largest since the Trump-era maximum pressure campaign, framing them as a move to disrupt regime elites while protecting US national security.